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How do I use links to show our needs?

Internal, Showing Needs

Simply attach (copy and paste) the link(s) to button(s) on your web site (indicating the types of needs shown) for people to “shop” those needs and sign up to help. For example, buttons may say “Volunteer Now”, “Most Needed Items” or “Current Needs of Metro Food Bank”. Links can also be attached to your menu items, pictures, or text on your web site. Each link is customized to display only the needs that the organization wants to show on that particular button. The organization can set up its web site however it would like – showing whatever needs it wants to wherever it wants to.

Some churches and companies set up a new “Serve the Community” landing page on their web site with several buttons showing a wide variety of opportunities to help in different ways. MTN provides you a set of Best Practice Recommendations for implementing Meet The Need on your website, including recommendations for where to display your buttons or links.

 

Once we post needs, where do we get our links to show them on our web site?

Internal, Showing Needs

Once we post needs, where do we get our links to show them on our web site? (View Instructional Video)

Showing needs requires links provided to you by Meet The Need in one of three ways:

  1. Emailed to you when your organization registered
  2. Retrieve the links from your Dashboard by clicking the Link button located in the top right corner of the box for each module, or
  3. Create Your Own Links using our link building wizard

If you’ve created a Web Site Template, each of those links will show the applicable needs on pages that look like your web site.

What kinds of links can I make?

Internal, Showing Needs

Your Link Manager under Settings on your Dashboard allows you to customize links by:

  • Type (Volunteer, Family, Missions)
  • Category (of goods or service)
  • Location
  • Public/Private
  • Keyword

You can also choose to receive the links as text, URLs or preconfigured buttons. You may format the buttons by color and style as well as entering text inside the button (e.g. “Volunteer Now!”)

 

What is a Link?

Internal, Showing Needs


Links show the needs you post. Each link may be customized to show any type of need, no matter how narrow or broad, within or outside of your organization. Your links can be attached to buttons, menu items, pictures, or text on your website or sent out via email in messages, Word documents or newsletters.

Can I add a shift to a recurring need?

Internal, Posting Needs


On your Open/Partially Filled, Filled or Expired Needs, each Recurring need will show an Add Shifts button on the right. Click that button to load in additional times for a volunteer need that day. Each shift added will appear as a separate need on your Open/Partially Filled Needs report.

Can I duplicate a need to make it easier to repost?

Internal, Posting Needs

Yes. There are two ways to duplicate a need:

  • After you post a need, the screen that follows will ask you whether you would like to Duplicate that need.  If you select that option, a new need posting form will appear with all of the information you just completed prefilled so you can modify as necessary and quickly post the new need.
  • On your Open/Partially Filled, Filled or Expired Needs reports you can look up a need that has already been posted and click the Duplicate button next to that need.  When you click Duplicate, the need posting form will be prefilled with the same details as the prior need so you can modify as necessary and post the new need. You cannot duplicate a Recurring need because of the complexity of replicating the specific occurrences which may or may not have been altered by the Key Contact.

Can I create my own categories when posting a need?

Internal, Posting Needs

You can only create your own categories only if you are using our Events module. Otherwise, you can select from the wide variety of categories and sub-categories for each type of possible need that Meet The Need has refined over many years. Standardizing categories and sub-categories and keeping them consistent is important for aligning both the posting and searching of needs.